aiEDU's New AI Readiness Framework Builds on Career Research to Give Teachers, School Leaders Roadmap to Prepare Students

Version 2.0 of aiEDU's AI Readiness Framework builds on research conducted in partnership with the Burning Glass Institute, the renowned research organization known for its data-driven research and practice on the future of work and workers. The updated framework also reflects rapid changes in AI's impact on education, the workforce, and society over the past year.

"Building AI Readiness is one of the most critical challenges in education today. To serve students best, we must ensure that our system develops soft skills, core content skills, and AI literacy together," said Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of aiEDU. "Teachers, school leaders and school districts need support to build AI Readiness. Our framework offers a guide to start – and frames the challenge we face in striking a balance to teach all of these skills and teach them well."

He added, "Our goal was to build a ready-to-use, trusted resource for educators, system leaders and policymakers to understand what it means for a student to be AI Ready and what it takes to build AI Readiness."

aiEDU published its first AI Readiness Framework in October 2024. It established research-based competencies for students and educators, alongside a district readiness rubric. The initial framework focused on a progression of learning that goes from knowing the basics, to being a critical thinker to leading with the human advantage.

Version 2.0 builds on that work by updating competencies for students and educators that reflect job market research, changes in the AI landscape and more. It also includes an updated school district readiness rubric and for the first time a rubric for school leaders.

Why AI Readiness Matters

aiEDU defines AI Readiness as the knowledge and capabilities needed to apply one's human advantage with evolving technology. A person is AI Ready when they can leverage the combination of core content knowledge and durable skills like critical thinking and collaboration alongside AI to achieve their life and career potential.

Many specific qualities go into a person being AI Ready, including concepts like AI literacy, social and emotional wellness, creative and critical thinking, content literacy (like math, science, social studies and computer science skills) and media literacy.

Version 2.0 of the AI Readiness Framework continues to build on the work of peers and collaborators in the space, including UNESCO, Digital Promise, AI4K12, and the AILit Framework. But Version 2 represents aiEDU's distinct vision: a roadmap that unites students, educators, school leaders, and districts around a shared baseline for AI readiness.

Emphasis on human skills

The newest release reflects career research, with an emphasis on human skills in a landscape that has shifted significantly in just one year, with research from MIT Media Lab questioning the cognitive effects of large language model use, the World Economic Forum forecasting 40% of job skills changing by 2030; and surveys show increasing student reliance on AI tools for schoolwork and even companionship.

At the same time, many districts are only beginning to craft policies on AI use.

In response, aiEDU partnered with the Burning Glass Institute, adding a layer that includes labor market analysis. This research underscores the rising value of human skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, alongside the reality that many technical skills will now be augmented by AI.

What's New in Version 2

Version 2 of the AI Readiness Framework introduces significant updates across all four of its core components:

• Student Competencies: These competencies are expanded to anchor human skills and core content knowledge throughout, with new curricular examples aligned to competencies.
  
  
• Educator Competencies: These competencies are updated to reflect emerging cognitive research on AI use and a clearer link between pedagogy and AI skill-building.
  
  
• School Leader Readiness Rubric: This new rubric highlights the role of instructional leadership and community engagement in driving AI Readiness at the school level.
  
  
• District Readiness Rubric: This rubric is revised with more specific, actionable criteria for districts building AI strategies and policies.

Together, these updates create a comprehensive, all-of-the-above framework for building AI Readiness across systems, ranging from classrooms to districts.

"Educators have always been tasked with preparing students for a changing world. What's different now is the pace of change," said Emma Dogget-Neergard, Chief Program Officer at aiEDU. "Our new framework makes it explicit that students need both the durable human skills that machines can't replicate and the ability to direct, assess, and collaborate with AI tools."

She added, "To achieve that, we've built our newest framework to be more intuitive, more actionable, and more aligned to the realities of today's classrooms."

About aiEDU

The AI Education Project (aiEDU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to ensuring every student in America is prepared to live, work, and thrive in a world where AI is ubiquitous. Founded in 2019, aiEDU advances AI Readiness in K-12 schools through free curriculum, high-quality professional learning programs, and partnerships with school systems and states nationwide.

Learn more about aiEDU's AI Readiness Framework 2.0 at www.aiedu.org/ai-readiness-framework-new.

SOURCE aiEDU